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Sickle Cell Anaemia Relief International launched
Sickle Cell Anaemia Relief International has been launched to commemorate this year’s World Sickle Cell Day celebration in Ghana.
The initiative is aimed at touching lives and making society better for people living with sickle cell.
Speaking at the virtual launch on June 19, 2020, the Executive Director, Mr Maxwell Dodd reiterated the need to tell the real and personal life stories as well as shed light on the challenges faced by carriers.
“We should not only shed light but support financially and that is what the Sickle Cell Anaemia Relief International intends to do,” he revealed.
He added that, “We hope that through our projects, we can touch more lives and make society better for all sickle cell carriers whilst putting eternal smiles on their faces.”
The theme for this year’s World Sickle Cell Day celebration was, “Shine the light on sickle cell”, which primarily is to create more societal awareness on this public health disease and the challenges the carriers, family and care givers face.
World Sickle Cell Day was established by the United Nation’s General Assembly in 2008 in order to increase the awareness about the sickle cell disease (SCD) and its cure among the general public. It was first celebrated on June 19, 2009.
According to the World Health Organisation, SCD, which affects over millions of people worldwide including adults and children, is one of the main causes of premature death among children under the age of five in various African countries.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
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National Cathedral: We can’t halt salary payments because project is on hold – Dr. Joyce Aryee
Dr. Joyce Aryee, a member of the National Cathedral’s board of trustees, has dismissed concerns about staff payments, including those of CEO Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, during the construction halt as “ridiculous.”
Her response follows growing concerns over the project’s stalled progress and its impact on staff salaries.
Speaking on the sidelines of a symposium organized in collaboration with TD Jakes’ divinity school on Monday, October 14, Dr Aryee said, “If a project is on hold, it doesn’t mean that people are not working to keep it going. I’m surprised, I don’t even want to comment on it, as ridiculous as this. No, I won’t comment.
She further challenged the logic behind the concerns, adding, “So you establish an organisation, the organisation should stop because you don’t have money to continue a certain aspect of the organisation. Is that it? Answer it yourself.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, Executive Director of the National Cathedral, has sought to clarify misconceptions surrounding the project, emphasizing that it goes beyond being just a church building.
He highlighted the potential benefits the cathedral could bring, including revenue generation and showcasing Ghana’s rich cultural heritage to the world.
The National Cathedral project has faced strong opposition, with critics questioning the appropriateness of government involvement and raising concerns about a lack of financial transparency.
However, Dr. Opoku-Mensah remains optimistic, particularly following a symposium held in collaboration with TD Jakes’ divinity school. The event aimed to educate the public about the broader functions of the cathedral.
Envisioned as a historic landmark, the cathedral is intended to serve as a sacred space for religious activities. Additionally, it will feature Africa’s first Museum of the Bible, a collaboration with the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.
“The symposium is just conceived as the National Cathedral’s response to what in Ghana we perceive to be the return initiatives and offer a pathway mediated by faith to connecting Ghana to the African diaspora,” she said.
This collaboration will seek to develop a Pan-African community to collectively work to address historical, racial and contemporary of Africa’s contributions to theology practice.
She said, “We seek to demonstrate the conveying functions of the National Cathedral, the National Cathedral project is often misunderstood, conceived almost entirely as a physical church building. The National Cathedral is more than a church and it includes critical national, continental and global conversations.”He congratulated TD Jakes’ divinity school for taking students across the African continent.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
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NPP-NDC clash at Mamobi: One person arrested
One person has been arrested in Connection with the clash involving members of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Mamobi in Accra on Sunday.
“The Ghana Police Service wishes to assure the general public that investigation into the disturbances that occurred between supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Mamobi in Accra, yesterday, Sunday 13th October 2024, is still ongoing,” the police revealed in a statement today.
They concluded, “So far, one person has been arrested in connection with the incident and the Police are working around the clock to get all identified perpetrators arrested to face justice.”